Shoe stiffener and method of making the same



March 5, 1929. H. c wrr 1,704,276

SHOE STIFFENER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Jan. 29, 1924 Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,704,276 PATIENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. IBECKWITH, OF BBOQKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE STII'I'ENEB AND METHOD 01' name THE SAME.

Application filed January 29, 1924. Serial No. 889,269.

In the manufacture of box toe blanks of a felt or felt-like fabric saturated with a thermo-plastic material such as asphalt, resin, Montan wax, and the like, the fabric is first saturated with melted thermo-plastic material. After cooling, the blanks are cut in approximately semi-circular form and are then skived at their edges to secure a taper from the center to the edges. It has been found that no matter how well the skiving has been done the extreme edges are sometimes t-OOztlllCk when employing very thin leather in shoe fabrication, the result bein that a slight ridge may show at the edge 0? the toe toward the vamp. Likewise it is often desirable to eliminate any hard and fast line between the relatively stiff toe portion and the-relatively limp vamp'portion.

It is the object of this invent-ion to reduce the edge of the stiffener blank to a point of thinness and character of stiffness so that no hard and fast line will appear in the shoe.

This ma be done by subjecting the tapered edge to eat and pressure so as to cause the thermo-plastic material to more or less exude therefrom, it being preferable to support the blank on some sort of abibulous support which will absorb the exuded material and prevent it froml remaining on the surface of the blank. By causing this treatment to be effected to a gradually decreasing extent back from the edge of the blank the relative proportion of thermo-plastic to fibrous material may be gradually increased inwardlyfrom this edge so that the transition from substantially no stiffness at the extreme edge where the thermo-plastic is mostly removed to the stiffness of the main portion of the blank may be gradual and imperceptible. Preferably the bibulous support on which the blanks are carried during this treatment is formed of fibrous material of the same character as that from which theshoe stiffeners are made. ,In this eventthe thermo plastic absorbed thereby is not lost since the support itselfimay; after having functioned in this. manner, be more completely saturated with thermo-plastic material and then itself be cut into stiffener blanks which in turn may be treated in the manner hereinbefore set forth.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan of a mechanism designed to effect the further treatment of the blank.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 5 is a detail sectionon an enlarged scale on line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a detail section illustrating a modification.

Referring to these drawings, 1 indicates a blankcut from fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic and skived to form thin marginal portions. The flatter margin 2 of this blank in the finished shoe underliesthe rear portion of the toe at the junction between the toe and the yarn Blanks cut in this manner may then be laid on a belt 3 (as shown in Figure 3) which belt may be suitably supported over feed rollers 4 and 5 as to permit the blanks to be fed in succession beneath a heated ironing pressure roller 6. The periphery of this pressure roller is formed tapered as at 7, the taper preferably being more obtuse than that of the skived margin 2 with which it is intended to contact. This roller may be heated as by any suitable means; as herein shown an electric heating unit 8 being carried therein and supplied by an electric current through a pair of slip rings 9 on the roller driving shaft 10 which may be driven by a pulley 12. The portions 2 of the stiffener blanks are caused to pass in succession beneath the edge 7 of the roller which bears hard against the extreme edge gradually lighter pressure inwardly from this edge. This roller should be heated suffic'iently to cause the thermo-plasticmaterial to be melted and exude from the fibrous foundation, the belt support 3 beneath it being of such a character as to absorb the melted material as fast as it exudes so that no deposit of this material remains on the face of the blank. The heat and pressure being applied most forcibly to the extreme edge causes the extreme edge to lose a greater proportion of its thermo-plastic than portions inwardly therefrom and the roller face gradually leaves contact with the stiffener inwardly from this edge so that no hard and fast lme is left between the portions from which the thermo-plastic is removed and those portions substantially unaffected by the treatment. If it were attempted to exert heat and pressure over a. very definite area, a

portion of the blank and with a.

ridge of thermo-plastie material about the outline of this area would be produced which would be liable to show in the finished shoe. By causing the face of the treating roller to gradually recede from the blank, no such eifectiis produced. The lower feed roller 5 is employed to receive the thrust from the heated roller 6 and after passing this roller a stripper member 16 is positioned to remove the blanks from the supporting belt 3 before they have become suifieiently cool to strongly adhere thereto. v

Inplace of using a heated roller a nonrotatable iron such as shownin Figure 6 at 20 may be employed. This iron may be heated as by means of the electric resistance element 21 carried thereby and may have an inclined face 22 preferably of more obtuse inclination than the marginal portion of the stiffener blank to impart a decreasing treating action thereon back from the edge in the same manner as described in connection with the heated roller. A support 23 of any suitable description may be utilized in connection with this iron to take the thrust therefrom. Of course in place of formingthe' treating face 22 of the iron with a more obtuse inclination than that of the skived face of the blank, the iron having a flat face may be applied to the shank in such a manner with the face at one angle tothe work snrface that the desired gradual decrease in pressure may beeflt'ected back from the edge of the blank. This pressure acts not only to remove the thermo-plastic from the edge of the blanks, but also causes them to be condensed and thinned to such a degree that no line is apparent at the rear edge of thestifi'ener in the finished shoe even though very light stock may be used in the shoe upper.

Having thus described this invention it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from its spirit or scope as defined by the appended c aims.

I claim:

- 1. That step in the process of preparing shoe stifi'enersfrom fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic material, which comprises removing a portion of the thermo-plastic only, from a margin of a blank cut from the saturated material.

2. That step in the process of preparing shoe stitfeners from fibrous sheet mate- 'rial saturated with thermo-plastic material,

which com rises removing at the margin of a stiffener .b ank cut from the saturated sheet a. gradually decreasing proportion of the thermo-plastic to the fibrous material back from the edge thereof.

3. The steps in the process of preparing shoe stifleners from fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic material which comprises subjecting the-margin of a stiffener blank cut therefrom to heat and pressure sufficient to cause exudation of the thermoplastic maferial, and removing such exuded mater1a 4. The steps in the process of preparing shoe stifleners from fibrous sheetmaterial saturated with thermo-plastic material which comprises subjecting the margin of a stiffener blank cut therefrom to heat and pressure of progressively increasing amount toward the edge thereof, the heat being suflicient to cause exudation of the thermoplastic material under such pressure, and removing the exuded material.

5. The method which comprises superposing a stiffener blank comprising fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic material on unsaturated fibrous material previous to the incorporation of such blank in a shoe, and subjecting a marginal portion of said blank to heat to cause the thermo-plastic material in that portion to partly exude therefrom and to beabsorbed by the underlying unsaturated material.

6. The method which comprises superposing a stiffener blank comprising fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic material on similar unsaturated fibrous material previous to the incorporation of said blank in a shoe, subjecting a marginal portion of said blank to heat to cause the thermoplastic material in that ortion to partly exude therefrom and be a sorbed by the underlying unsaturated material, completing the saturation of said underlying material, and making stiffeners therefrom.

7. The method which com rises super osing a stiflener blank comprising fibrous s eet material saturated with thermo-plastic material on similar unsaturated fibrous-material previous to the incorporation of said blank in a shoe, subjecting a marginal portion of said blank to heat to cause the thermo-plastie material in that portion to partly exude therefrom and be absorbed by the underlying unsaturated material, completing the saturation of said underlying material, cutting it into stiffener blanks, and treating these blanks in the same manner to make stiffeners therefrom.

8. The method which comprises superposing" a stiffener blank comprising fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic material on a bibulous support previous to the incorporation of said blank in a shoe, and subjecting a portion of said blank to heat and pressure to cause the thermo-plastic material in that portion to partly exude therefrom and be absorbed by the underlying bibulous material.

9. That step in the manufacture of shoe stifieners formed of fibrous sheet material tion of a blank out from said sheet a heated iron havin its sheet treating face presented at a'more tuse angle than the taper of said margin to have a gradually decreasing .efi'ect back from the edge thereof.

10. That step in the manufacture of shoe stitfeners formed offibrous sheet material saturated with a thermoplastic which comprises applying to a marginal tapered portion of a blank cut from said sheet while saidblank is carried on a bibulous support a heated iron having its sheet treating face presented at a more obtuse angle thanthe taper of said margin to have a gradually decreasing effect back from the edge thereof.

11. A shoe stiffener blank comprising fibrous sheet material saturated with thermo-plastic material and cut to shape, a marginal portion of the blank containing a 'pro gressively smaller proportion of thermoplastic to fibrous material toward its edge.

12. A shoe stiffener blank comprising fibrous sheet material saturated with thermoplastic material and cutto shape, a marginal portion of the blank being shaped to .a thin edge and containing a progressively smaller proportion of thermo-plastic to fibrous material toward said edge.

13. A shoe stiffener suitable for assembly in ra shoe upper and having a marginal portion of progressively decreasing stiffness relative to its thickness toward its edge.

14. A shoe stiffener suitable for assembly in a shoe upper and having a marginal portion of progressively decreasing thickness and degree of stiffness relative to thickness toward its edge.

15. A shoe stiffener suitable for assembly 111 a shoe upper and comprising fibrous sheet material saturated to different extentsing agent to fibrous material along that margin of the blank positioned rearwardly when the stiffener is incorporated in the shoe than in other portions thereof.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HARRY H. BECKWITH. 

